In this article, current state development and process evolution ofthermal spray technology during last century (1910-2010) were reviewed. An “three-step evolution trend” (heat energy dominance, kineticenergy dominance, innovative idea and composite performance dominance) wasadvanced in order to get comprehensive understanding on this technology and dobetter in promoting its future development. Low pressure plasma spraying-thinfilm (LPPS-TF), cold spray (CS) and suspension orsolution srecursor plasma spray (SPS/SPPS) were selected among emerging novelspray processes to be briefly introduced from two aspects (process characteristics and potential applications). Comparison of spray output valueand detail contribution ratio distribution of various industry or process through world and Asia spray industry market were made to probe into what canbe improved as for China thermal spray industry in future. It was suggested that increasing plasma spray and HVOF contribution to applications, take activesteps to explore R&D of some novel spray technology like above mentioned and their possible applications especially in high-tech industrial such aselectrics, semiconductor and new energy.

SiC coatings were prepared on carbon/carbon (C/C) composites by chemical vapor reaction (CVR) method. The structure and morphology of the coating were characterized by XRD, SEM and ED Sanalysis, and the influence of SiC coating and preparation technology on the fracture behavior of the composites were investigated by three point bendingtests. The results show that the flexural strength and maximum fracture displacement of the composites are obvious improved after the coating process.The average flexural strength of carbon/carbon composites is 172.4MPa, while the average flexural strength of the coated composites is 239.8MPa. The improvement of the flexural strength is mainly contributed to the improved interface bonding caused by the vapor diffusion and reaction in the preparation process and the SiC particle reinforcement. Furthermore, the fracture mode ofthe coated composites is not changed and the coated samples also exhibit pseudo-plastic fracture and ductile frature character.

5wt% CNTs/Al₂O₃-TiO₂ coatings were prepared by micro-plasmaspraying. Microstructure and high temperature properties of CNTs/Al₂O₃-TiO₂ composite coatings were studied. Its microstructure was dense and the porosity was low. CNTs were dispersed uniformly in CNTs/Al₂O₃-TiO₂ composite coating. In the thermal oxidation processfrom 20℃ to 700℃, the initial weight loss temperature of CNTs was 471.29℃. Theinitial weight loss temperature of CNTs/Al₂O₃-TiO₂ composite coating was raised to 507.8℃. The plasma heating process improved the graphite phase transformation of CNTs,which was helpful for the improvement of initial weight loss temperature of CNTs/Al₂O₃-TiO₂ composite coating. When CNTs/Al₂O₃-TiO₂ composite coating was heated to 300℃, and the high temperature reflectivity was measured at 2-18 GHz, the minimum reflection losswas -7.86 dB at 25 ℃. With increasing temperature, the reflectivity peak continuously decreased and the resonant frequency moved to the low frequency. The experimental reflectivity peak was -12.88dB, and the frequency band width for less than -5dB was 4.48 GHz at 300℃. There sults suggests that CNTs/Al₂O₃-TiO₂ coating is agood candidate for high-temperature microwave-absorbing material.

The microstructure and thermal shock resistance of ZrB₂ and ZrB₂-20vol% SiC(ZS20) composites prepared by aqueous tape casting and hot-pressing were investigated. Zr-B-C and Zr-B-W solid solution phases were formed in ZS20 composites, but not formed in ZrB₂ samples. The diffraction peaks for ZrB₂ of ZS20 composites shifted to higher 2 θ values possibly due to the formation of solidsolution phases which resulted in a decrease in lattice parameters. The critical thermal shock values for ZrB₂ and ZS20 were measured to be298℃ and 306℃ respectively using water quench tests. The thermal shock resistance of ZrB₂ and ZS20 were also calculated and compared with the experimental data. The results revealed that the measured thermal shock resistance of ZS20 composites was lower than the calculated ones, which might be due to the thermal residualstress in the samples resulted from the difference in thermal expansion coefficient of ZrB₂ matrix and SiC second phase as well as the solid solutions phases.

Al/AlN substrate was produced by diecasting bonding process with the bonding time of 10 min in the range of 948K to1098K under N₂ atmosphere. The bonding mechanism and strength were investigated by mechanic testing equipment, high-temperature metallographic microscope, AFM and SEM. When the bonding temperature is increased below 973K,the peeling strength of the aluminium with the AlN ceramic substrate rises linearly. While the bonding temperature is above 973K, the temperature influence on the bonding strength is not significant. The peeling strength ofthe pure aluminium with the AlN ceramic substrate is about 49N/mm. The bonding mechanism between aluminium and aluminium nitride can be ascribed to physical and chemical reaction wetting.

High-quality YAG transparentceramics were fabricated by vacuum sintering technique using the slip casting with anhydrous ethanol as the dispersion medium. The in-line transmittances of the polished sample with the thickness of 3 mm are about 79% in the visible band and 80% in the infra-red band, respectively, which are close to the the oretical transmittance of 84%. The average grain size of the sample sintered at 1800℃is about 30 μm. There are fewpores and no impurities or secondary phases at inner grains or grain boundaries.It can be expected that the anhydrous ethanol slip casting method is a very promising way for the transparent ceramic forming.

The high-k Ni-Al-O gatedielectric films , were depositedon Si (100) and platinized Si (111) substrates by reactive pulsed-laserdeposition (PLD) at 400 ^oC ℃, were and the nannealed in a rapid thermal annealing furnace at various temperatures rangingfrom 600 ℃ ^o C to 750 ℃ ^o C. The structural and electrical properties of the Ni-Al-O films were investigated. It is found that Ni-Al-O thin film annealed up to 750 ℃ ^o C is amorphous and the root-mean-square roughness of the film is less than 0.5 nm, indicating the file surface isvery smooth. The dielectric constant of the film measured at the frequency of 1 MHz is determined to be 9.9 at the frequency of 1 MHz measured with Pt/Ni-Al-O/Pt structure. The capacitance and leakage current density of the film, annealed at above 700 ℃ ^o C are 135 pF and 7.0×10 ^{- 7} A /cm^-2,respectively. The obtained results indicate that the amorphous Ni-Al-O film is a promising candidate for high-k gate dielectric.

Polycrystalline (00l)-oriented HgI₂ films were prepared on ITO glass substrate by the modified Water Bath Hot Wall Physical Vapor Deposition method in the ultrasonic wave field.High quality polycrystalline (00l)-oriented HgI₂ films, growing along the (00l) crystal plane with columnar and uniform grains, were obtained. Effects of growth process parameters on the quality of(00l)-oriented polycrystalline HgI₂ films were discussed. The microstructure and surface morphology of HgI₂ films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scan electron microscopes (SEM) and Raman spectrum. The results indicatedthat ultrasonic wave could improve the quality of HgI₂ films and decrease the deposition temperature of HgI₂ films with increasing ultrasonic frequency from 0 to 59kHz. The growth rate of HgI₂ filmswas increased with the frequency of ultrasonic wave.

LiFePO₄/Ccomposite cathode materials containing different amounts of carbon were fabricated by mechanical activation–high temperature solid statereaction using citric acid as a carbon source, with the aim to study the effectof carbon-coating on LiFePO₄ internal structure. The crystal structure, surface morphology and electrochemical properties of the obtained composites coated with various carbon contents were investigated by the techniques of XRD, SEM, BET, HRTEM, SAED, AC Impedance spectra, and constant current charge-discharge testing. And the structural changes originating from the carbon-coatingwere also analyzed. Under high temperature, citric acid was decomposed into network-like structure amorphous carbon, and coated on the surface of LiFePO₄ particles, which could inhibit the grain growth and cause the smaller sizes.The crystal growth direction and micro-structure of LiFePO₄/C were significantly influenced by carbon-coating that resulted in growing along direction preferentially.According to AC Impedance spectra measurements, all the impedances of carboncoated LiFePO₄ decreased evidently, and the diffusion coefficient of Li ions increased by up to two orders of magnitude compared with uncoated LiFePO₄, indicating the ion and electric conductivity,discharge capacity and cycling performance were greatly improved.

Eu³⁺-doped LaPO₄ micro-nanofiberswere prepared by the electro spinning technology. Scanning electron microscope(SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), the mogravimetry-differential thermal analysis(TG-DTA), and photoluminescencespectra (PL) were used to characterize the obtained samples. XRD patterns indicate that theas-prepared micro-nanofibers are crystallized well at 800℃ and assign edto JCPDS-35-0731 of the monoclinic LaPO₄ crystal. Upon excitation into the Eu³⁺ at 409 nm, the emission spectrum of LaPO₄:Eu³⁺ micro-nanofibers is composed of ⁵ D₀- ⁷ F _J (J = 1, 2, 3, 4) emission lines of Eu³⁺, with the transition ⁵ D₀ - ⁷ F₂ (at 618 nm) being the most prominent group, which is characterized by red emission. The optimum doping concentration of Eu³⁺ is 5mol% in the LaPO₄: Eu³⁺ micro-nanofibers. The luminescence decay curve of LaPO₄: Eu³⁺ micro-nano fibers shows single exponential behavior, and the lifetime(τ) of Eu³⁺ is about 3.7 ms.

The microcrystalline CuAlO₂ was synthesized by complexing Sol-Gel method using citric acid as chelate.Thermal decomposition mechanism of the Gel, formation process of CuAlO₂ microcrystallites, phase structure, microstructure, grain size, etc, were investigated by TG-DTA, XRD,TEM. Results show that using copper nitrate, aluminum isopropoxide and ethyleneglycol as raw materials, citric acid as a complexing agent complexed with metalions can reduce the synthetic temperature of microcrystalline CuAlO₂.The microcrystalline delafossite-structured CuAlO₂ with smallparticles, uniform composition can be obtained at 1050 ℃. Its crystal particlesize is about 150nm in diameter. UV-Visible spectral analysis shows that the optical band gap of CuAlO₂ microcrystallite is about 3.75-4.05eV.

CuAlO₂ films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on Al₂O₃(001).And the effect of deposition laser energy on the microstructure, morphologies and optical properties of the films were studied. The in-situ deposited films were amorphous in the deposition laser energyof 100-180mJ. After ex-situ annealed in N₂ atmosphere at 900℃ for 1 h, all the films were single phase CuAlO₂with c-axis orientation and the crystal sizes were about 49nm. With the increase of deposition laser energy,the film thickness and surface particle sizes increased, while the visiblelight transmittance decreased. Room-temperature photoluminescence measurements of the CuAlO₂ films deposited with laser energy of 100mJ and 180mJ only showed an ultraviolet near-band-edge emission peak at 350 nm (around 3.5eV) in the range of 325-650 nm, which originated from the generation and recombination of electron-hole pairs, namely, excitons. This observation indicates the existence of direct transition-type band gap of thismaterial, which is favorable for the optoelectronics applications such aslight-emitting diodes (LEDs).

As a member of complex metal oxides, spinel CoCr₂O₄ has wide application in ceramic pigment, catalysis and magnetic materials. In order to reduce the Cr content and modify the colorperformance, nanoscaled spinel solid solution CoCr_{2- x}Al _xO₄ ( x=0,0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.5) was synthesized by low-temperature combustion synthesis (LCS) method using citric acid (reductant) and metal nitrates(oxidants) as starting materials. XRD, TEM, FT-IR, UV-Vis spectrometer and colorspectrometer were employed to characterize the structure, morphology, infrared,ultraviolet-visible curve and the color parameters of the as-prepared sample, respectively.Results show that single-phased and uniform CoCr_{2- x}Al _xO₄with about 15-30 nm in size can be prepared by LCS at 800 ℃.Absorption bands at about 520 cm ^{- 1} , 630 cm ^{- 1} and 410-450 cm ^{- 1} in IR curve are corresponding to the vibration ofoctahedron group and the complex vibration of octahedron and tetrahedron group. Absorptionbands at 570, 610 and 660 nm inthe visible region of UV-Vis curve are assigned to the ⁴A₂(F)→⁴T₁(P)of Co²⁺ and ⁴A_2g→⁴T_2g ofCr³⁺. Color spectrometer characterization results indicate that the sample exhibits best color performance with x=0.2,showing a bright bluish green color.

Bi₂S₃nanocrystals( 1wt%) embedded in sodium borosilicate glass were synthesized through Sol-Gel process. The morphology and microstructure of Bi₂S₃nanocrystals in sodium borosilicate glass were characterized by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-rayphotoelectron spectroscope (XPS), transmission electron microscope (TEM),energy dispersion X-ray spectra (EDX), scanning transmission electronmicroscope (STEM) and high-resolutions TEM (HRTEM). Furthermore, the third-order nonlinear optical properties of the glass were measured by femtosecondZ -scan technique at a wavelength of 770 nm. The results show that the size of Bi₂S₃nanocrystals in sodium borosilicate glass usually ranges from 10 to 30 nm, and the Bi₂S₃ nanocrystals are determined to be of the orthorhombic phase. The third-order nonlinear optical refractive index γ, absorption coefficient β and susceptibility χ⁽³⁾ of the glass are determined to be 5.90×10 ^{- 16} m²/W, 7.35×10 ^{- 9} m/W and 4.55×10 ^{- 18} m²/V², respectively. There into, the third-order optical nonlinear susceptibility χ⁽³⁾ of the glass is four orders of magnitude greaterthan un-doped glass (χ⁽³⁾= 1.09×10 ^{- 22} m²/V²). It is clear that the third-order nonlinearoptical properties of the glass will be improved greatly with an increase of the Bi₂S₃ content.

Tellurium-based composite films with third-order nonlinear optical properties were prepared by electrochemically induced s S ol-g G el method using ITO glass as the substrate. The surface morphology and composition of the thin films were characterized by SEM (scanning electronmicroscopy e ) and EDX (X-rayenergy- dispersion spectroscope ). The transmission spectrum, reflectance optical spectrum and absorption spectrum of the thin films were recorded on a spectrophotometer and the third-order optical nonlinearity of the films were measuredby Z-scan technique with pulsed laser.SEM revealed a network structure of the films and EDX measurement identified Si, Te and O elements as the main components. Negative effectnonlinear refraction and saturated absorption properties were observed at the wavelength of 1064nm with a nonlinear refractive index of - 4.18?10 ^{- 13} m²/Wand nonlinear absorption coefficient of the - 1.6?10 ^{- 6} m/W, respectively,showing obvious nonlinear optical properties. The third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility was found to be 1.13?10 ^{- 14} (m/V)²,demonstrating that third-order nonlinear optical properties of the films wereexcellent.

A kind of photo sensitive ceramic inks is was developed for Direct-WriteAssembly (DWA).A TiO₂based photolysisdevice of wood pile structure whose with filament diameter of is around 270 μm was fabricated through this method. The preparation of the photo sensitive ink and the principle of the DWA were investigated in order to obtain ink with proper rheology. XRD and TEM were used to characterize the phase and morphology of the TiO₂ powder in the ink. Optics microscope is was appliedto analyze the internal architecture and typical size of the wood pile structure. The sample immersed in methylene-blue solution is was radiated under UV-light for 20 min and the transmittance of the solution measured byUV-Vis spectrophotometer. Under the UV-light irradiation for 10minutes, ,the degradation rate of methylene blue solution with initial concentration of4mg/L is was 76%, and then increases increased to91% fora 20 minutes’ after UV radiation for 20 min. We also use SEM was usedto study the filament surface morphology of the woodpile and investigatethe enhancement mechanism of the high photolysis performance based on these results.The effective photolysis performance can be attributed to the 3D woodpilestructure with rough porous surface, which greatly increases the area of the photocatalysisreaction.

A stable TiO₂ Solwith a mean particle size of 1.2 nm was synthesized with titanium is opropoxideas a precursor through polymeric Sol-Gel route. Diska -Al₂O₃ supported mesoporousg -Al₂O₃membrane with mean pore size of 3 nm was used as support for nanofiltration membranes deposition. Defect-free TiO₂ nanofiltration membranessuper imposed on these supports were fabricated via dip-coating method followed by drying and calcination. The effect of calcination temperature on properties of unsupported TiO₂membranes (powders) as well as supported TiO₂ nanofiltration membranes was studied in detail. The MWCO, mean pore size and pure water fluxof TiO₂ nanofiltration membrane calcined at 350℃were 890, 1.5 nm and 5.3 L/(m²·h)(at 8×10⁵Pa,20℃), respectively. Ions retention properties of Ti-350 nanofiltration membrane towards five solutions like NaCl, CaCl₂, Na₂SO₄,MgCl₂ and Ni(NO₃)₂ were characterized. Under apH value of 4.0 and transmembrane pressure of 5.0×10⁵Pa,the retention properties of Ti-350 membrane towards CaCl₂ and MgCl₂solutions reach maximum values of 96.5% and 92.8%, respectively.

An alumina supported Pd-ZrO₂ catalyst with high surface area was synthesized by impregnation method and characterized byBET, XRD and TEM techniques. The catalytic activity of the catalyst onselective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with C₃H₆ as reducer was studied, and the influence of the reaction temperature, catalyst component, calcination temperature, reactant ratio and space velocity on the catalytic activity were investigated, respectively. The results indicated that the Pd nano-particles had been dispersed evenly on the Al₂O₃support, and a dding withfter appropriate amount of ZrO₂ addition, the obtained compound catalyst 1 wt％Pd-2 wt％ZrO₂/Al₂O₃showed high catalytic activity on NO selective catalytic reduction reaction,and the NO conversion could reached 50 wt %-70 wt% in the temperature range of 240-250℃. The improvement of NO conversion is ascribed to the ZrO₂ loaded on the catalysts, which can The ZrO₂loaded on the catalysts could promote the adsorption of NO and C₃H₆on the catalyst surface, a synergetic catalytic effect between Pd and ZrO₂has been proposed. .

Mn₂O₃ microspheres were synthesized by a two-step method in ethylene glycol (EG)system. First, the precursor was produced in the presence of ethylene glycol(EG) by using MnCl₂?4H₂O and sodium acetate (NaAc) as reactants. Second, the precursor was calcined to obtain the products of crystalline Mn₂O₃. The products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Moreover, the photocatalytic activity of the products was examined by measuring the photodegradation of methyleneblue solution with ultraviolet radiation in the presence of H₂O₂.The results show that the as-synthesized Mn₂O₃ microspheres assembled by nanoslices, which is composed of large quantity of nanoparticles. And the average diameters of the Mn₂O₃ microspheresare 7μm. The formation mechanism of the Mn₂O₃ microspheres is simply discussed. And the Mn₂O₃ microspheres have good photocatalyticactivity due to its particular structure.

Nanosized ramsdellite was synthesized by oxidizing 30mmol Manganese(II) sulfate dissolved in different amounts of hydrochloride (0,10, 20 and 40 mmol) with adding 60 mmol sodium hypochlorite solution atconstant velocity of 1 mL/min minute using a refluxing process at atmosphericpressure at different temperatures (60, 80 and 100℃). The products were characterized by XRD diffraction,scanning electron microscope and automated surface area analyzer. The effectsof reflux temperature, time and amount of hydrochloric acid on the crystalstructures, micromorphologies and yield of products were investigated. It was observed that nano-particles of conglobated ramsdellite was prepared at 60℃, and particle size increased with elevating the refluxing temperature. Both aggregate level and particle size of ramsdellite decrease after adding hydrochloric acid into the reaction solution. When the reflux reaction was carried out at 100℃ with adding different amount of hydrochloric acid,nano-size particles of ramsdellite were formed firstly, and then needle-like fibers of products came into being formed. The concentration of hydrochloricacid in the reaction system plays an important role in the morphologies of ramsdellitecrystal, which acts more remarkably at higher temperatures. It is favorable tothe formation of needle-like ramsdellite in nano size and aggregation with loose structures by addition of no less than 10 mmol hydrochloric acid into thereaction solution at 100℃. Ramsdellite particles with high specific surface area(maximum of 66.32 m²/g) are more prone to be formed byadding hydrochloric acid into the reaction solution at lower refluxing temperature. Product yield increases firstly and then decreases with the increase of the amount of hydrochloric acid and refluxing temperature, and the highest yield can be as high as 97.5%.

The effects of CrO₃,Nb₂O₅ ,SiO₂ and Al₂O₃on the sintering characteristics,phase composition and microwave dielectric properties of Y₂Ti₂O₇ ceramics were investigated. It was found that Nb₂O₅ can lower the sintering temperature, increase the permittivity and quality factor of Y₂Ti₂O₇ ceramics, and cause great change of the temperature coefficient of resonant frequency.With the increase of Nb ₂O₅ content, it illustrated that all the samples exhibited cubicpyrochlore-type Y₂Ti₂O₇ as main crystallinephase, and Nb⁵⁺ might be considered to partially substitute for Ti⁴⁺.The experimental results showed that1 mol% Nb₂O₅ doped ceramics sintered at1420℃exhibited optimum microwave dielectricproperties: ε_r=61.8, Q× f =9096 GHz (f=5.494 GHz) and τ_f=54×10 ^{- 6} /℃.

ZnO nanorod arrays were grown on Si substrate utilizing low-temperature hydrothermal method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) measurements were carried out to investigate the crystalline and morphology ofthe as-grown ZnO nanorods. Results indicate that the hexagonal prism ZnO nanorodarrays are well-aligned along the c-axis and distribute densely and uniformly on the substrate. The room temperature photoluminescence(PL) spectra demonstrate that high optical quality ZnO nanorod arrays could be achieved by this low temperature hydrothermal process. X-ray absorption near-edgespectroscopy (XANES) measurements at O K-edge were carried out with synchrotron radiation to investigate the local electronic structure of ZnO nanorod arrays with different diameter, and the electronic structure dependence on the diameter was discussed. In addition, the contrast of local electric structure for ZnO nanorods and thin film were also discussed.